Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 30
Jacob's POV
"It's so good to be back!" – Ness walked first into the villa, looking around and inhaling as though this were our home and we'd been gone for days.
It was Thursday already, Thursday in the afternoon. Time just seemed to be flying this week, which I really hated. After waking up in the little chalet up in Zakynthos, we'd been surprised with a full morning of already paid for surfing lessons. We were having so much fun surfing out in the Sun that we completely lost track of time and were shocked when a driver came to pick us up to head back here.
"Yeah, it is… although I'm going to miss that little shack."
"Because it was all natural and uncivilized?"
"No, because of the memories."
Ness quickly turned to look at me, blushing slightly before just as quickly turning back and taking her bag upstairs with a smile on her face.
It was hard not to let my mind wonder toward the events of last night. First there was the cave; just remembering that magical place made my stomach feel warm. There had been something powerful behind that evening, something otherworldly, or maybe my love for Ness was so huge that it made everything seem extraordinary, who knows. What I do know is that I had never in my life experienced so much pleasure and enrapturing bliss.
And then of course came the little shack. I still think it was a bit greedy of me to want to be with Nessie again after the cave. Any man should thank his lucky stars for having the cave experience and I'm pretty sure that if life were fair, that single episode would have been enough sex for one lifetime. But since for some reason life is turning out to be extremely kind to me, I still had the chance for more later on. I knew I was in trouble, big trouble. There was this insatiable hunger for Ness growing and growing inside me and apparently nothing seemed to quiet it down; because the more I made love to her, the more I seemed to want to.
Ness came back down and suggested we lounge out by the pool, so we did just that. We snuggled up on the huge bed that sat under a tent right next to the pool's edge. The sea breeze was hitting us, making the curtains around the tent flutter. I closed my eyes and dozed off for a few minutes until Ness broke the silence.
"I wish we hadn't destroyed the Jacuzzi."
"Yeah, I know… we barely got a chance to break it in."
Ness laughed and turned around so she could face me. She looked so darn good, with her curls flowing wildly all over the place and her skin looking so radiant that I damn near had a heart attack.
"Do you want to check out Aunt Alice's schedule for today?"
"Not really… can we just blow it off and stay here?"
"Yeah, let's do that."
I caught her glancing at the broken Jacuzzi with what I could tell was disappointment, something I couldn't stand seeing reflected on her face.
"You know… the tub upstairs has a Jacuzzi system."
She giggled and bounced up from the bed, standing beside me.
"Ok, let's go; I'll race you!" – She sped off and disappeared into the villa. For once I thought I'd let her win, so I slowly made my way up the stairs and into the main bedroom, where I was delighted to see all her clothes tossed out on the floor. My heart began to beat faster but I tried to fake composure, like the idiot I am.
When I entered the massive bathroom Nessie was standing next to the tub, naked. I tried to suppress a smile and ran my hand over my hair, hoping to play it cool. When I looked up at her she was giving me the naughty sexy look I'm sure she knows drives me wild.
"Need a hand undressing Mr. Black?"
"How about two?"
She giggled and bit her lip, taking a step toward me and starting by lifting my shirt off. She then unbuttoned my jeans, making me almost loose it; the proximity of her hands around that area stirring up all sorts of memories and desires. When she was done I was left wearing only my boxer briefs, but instead of going for them like I wanted her to, she simply turned around and tested the water in the already running tub.
"I think it's best if you take care of that yourself."
Like someone had just dipped me in cold water, I realized sex was not in her agenda… at least for now. So I quieted down my urges and took my boxers off, stepping in and dipping into the tub before her. She smiled when she realized I'd gotten the hint and did the same, sitting across from me and spreading out her legs in front of her so that I could take her feet in my hands and massage them.
The tub turned out to have a whirlpool just as good as the one in the damaged Jacuzzi. We both laid there just talking and relaxing as the jets massaged our backs and the warm water soothed our skin.
"So?"
"Not bad… so let's try not to break this one." – Ness gave me a teasing smile and leaned back, resting her head on the edge.
This wasn't half bad. I mean, we were both naked, at a close proximity, and yet we'd managed to keep it innocent. After a few minutes, I was starting to feel optimistic about the future, like maybe we'd be able to go around without sex every half hour or so. I was just about to comment on this to Nessie when the phone rang.
We both looked at each other in surprise, because we'd both purposely turned off our cell phones on our first day here, so the ring could only be coming from the actual phone in the villa.
"Be right back."
"Hurry."
I smiled when I realized she was being serious with the whole "hurry" thing; it felt good to be wanted, especially by Nessie, the reason of my existence. I got out of the tub and didn't even bother to wrap a towel around me; instead I ran to the bedroom and picked up the phone on one of the nightstands.
"Yeah?"
"Hello Jacob."
Nothing could have prepared me for Edward's voice on the other side of the line. My mind started flipping through images of all the things me and Nessie had done these past three days and for some reason I felt guilty. His voice sent a nervous ping all through my stomach and I wondered if I could just hang up and blame it on bad reception.
"Um… hi Edward."
"How are you?"
It was really awkward to have Edward, my crazy murderous father-in-law, asking me how I was when I had his daughter waiting for me naked in a bathtub just a few feet away. I suddenly became very aware of my own nudeness and wanted desperately to cover up, as if the leech could actually see through the phone.
"Um… good… and you?" – The words sounded stupid coming out of my mouth. When have I ever asked Edward how he is? When had we ever had this kind of conventional ice breaking when our conversations are usually to the point?
"Good, everyone here is good… and Nessie? How is she?"
Again the ping in my stomach at the mere mention of her name coming from his lips. I inhaled as my mind sorted through a series of seriously inappropriate adjectives with which to describe her, throwing out words like "delicious", "sexy", "naughty", "irresistible", "naked"… leave it to my brain to fail me in the most crucial of moments.
"Good, she's good." – More like amazing, but to say that would really be out of the question.
"Good, I'm glad. So… having fun?"
Even though the question was normal in any everyday conversation, when Edward said it, it came out pained and strained, like he was having a hard time even uttering the words. I knew this little chit chat had to stop.
"Ok Edward, what's going on?"
"We just wanted to check up on you… there's been a new development."
"Development? On what?"
"It's nothing to worry about; Carlisle has come to the conclusion that in fact the Volturi were the ones to not only create but also send the werewolves our way, and since you and Nessie are in Europe, fairly close to Italy, well, we just wanted to make sure everything is fine, considering Alice can't exactly "see" you."
"Dammit… why didn't they just come after us themselves?"
"I'm sure they're trying to keep up appearances… and also… and this is just a hypothesis mind you… we think they were not only after killing us but after something much more specific."
"What do you mean?"
"The female werewolf Carlisle was able to interrogate spoke about "conquering il dominante and acquiring its treasure"."
"Ok, yeah, Bella told me about this… it's a bunch of jiverish, right?"
"I don't mean to alarm you… this is just a hypothesis… but il dominante in Italian means "the dominant", it's a term used when referring to the alpha male… to the alpha."
"You're kidding, you mean they were after me?"
"We believe that's why they so deliberately went after Sam, maybe they thought he was you."
This was definitely a reality check to bring me back from the blissful paradise I was experiencing. Edward's words hit me hard, could it be possible that I was meant to die instead of Sam? But why would the Volturi bother with me? I have nothing of interest to them, do I?
"Edward, this is all coming as a big shock to me. Are you sure about this?"
"Not entirely, these are just conjectures."
Nessie came out of the bathroom with a towel around her and by the look on her face I could tell she had listened to the entire conversation. She stood in front of me, reading my face.
"Well, what would they want with me?"
"I don't know, but they seemed awfully interested in you when we faced them 5 years ago. For all we know they could want to run experiments on you or even recruit you."
Nessie stepped closer to me and took hold of my free hand, looking into my eyes with worry in hers.
"But I'm afraid that's not the part that alarms me Jacob. The female werewolf also said "acquire its treasure"."
"Yeah, so?"
"Tell me Jacob… what's your greatest treasure?"
She was standing before me, her eyes wide with the same realization I was experiencing, the same realization everyone home had already had and were now sharing with us. The Volturi were after Ness.
My throat suddenly became hoarse and dry. I pulled Ness toward me and hugged her to my chest with one arm as I held the phone with the other.
"Listen to me Edward… this is all a hypothesis right? Treasure could mean money or gold or who knows what."
"True… but according to Carlisle, Esme and even Nessie herself, the female werewolf recognized Nessie… she recognized her and ran straight toward her, never keeping her eyes off her."
"Shit Edward, what should we do? Do you think they'll strike again? Do you think they know where we are?"
"No, I'm sure you're much safer there than here. I would advise for you to keep calm while we find more information."
"Dammit Edward! You don't spring something like this on a guy and tell him to "keep calm"; this is my wife who we're talking about!"
"And my daughter. Trust me, no one is taking this lightly, but for now that's all the information I can give you. Just stay put and be careful."
"You've got to give me more than that Edward."
"Listen, Carlisle is close to finding the exact genetic composition of these hybrids, which means we'll be able to know their weaknesses if they ever show up again… as for the Volturi, we might have a way to enter into some diplomatic dialogue."
"Are you kidding me? Those bloodsuckers are liars and traitors and spin things their way… what kind of diplomacy do you expect?"
"Carlisle's doctor friend in Switzerland is in good terms with Marcus, so we might find something out through there. It is imperative that we figure out their motives; that would be the key to handling this whole thing. If it makes you feel any better, we all seriously doubt any of them mean Nessie harm."
"Please don't defend your leech royals."
"I'm not defending them, I'm certain their intentions are not honorable, despite the fact that I believe no physical harm to Ness is intended."
Nessie looked up at me with her almond eyes and pressed her hand to my face, projecting how she didn't think they meant her harm either and how she knew we'd be ok. I took in a big breath and let it out slowly, knowing that if Ness wasn't panicking, I shouldn't either.
"Ok Edward, we'll stay put, but just promise me you'll let us know what's going on."
"I promise… now… may I speak to my baby?"
Correction, my baby. But since I really wasn't in the mood to mess with him or stake my claim, I simply handed the phone to Ness and walked over to the bathroom to get a towel and cover up.
"Hi dad… are you sure we shouldn't worry?"
"No, you shouldn't… at least for now. So… everyone here is dying to know how's everything going."
"Um… good… really good… Aunt Alice did an amazing job; we've been having the best time… I'll show you pictures when we get back because you have to see this place, it's beautiful."
"Well I'll be sure to tell her. I don't want to keep you, so your mother and I send you our love and again… have fun but keep your eyes opened for anything."
"I thought you said they don't know we're here."
"They don't, it's just a precaution, alright?"
"Ok dad, don't worry… Jake will take care of me."
"I'm counting on it. Love you my darling, see you soon."
"I love you too dad… tell momma I love her and everyone else… I miss you, bye."
"You miss them?" – I came over to Ness who'd just hung up the phone.
"Not really." – She giggled and wrapped her arms around my waist, looking up at me.
"You're not worried about this?" – It was hard to take anything serious when we were all the way over here and having the time of our lives, but something in the back of my mind was telling me I should be concerned.
"I don't know… we don't really know anything anyways… dad said not to worry."
"Yeah but still… it's the Volturi… I mean, I don't think we should underestimate them."
Ness' face grew somber and I wanted to kill myself for being the culprit of that mood change.
"I am afraid… dead afraid… I've been terrified since I dreamed a werewolf had killed you… but I don't want to walk around worrying about tragedy hitting us when there's a good change we might just dodge it. Five years ago we all thought we'd get killed and we didn't, so…"
"You're right, I'm sorry… I don't want to stress you out. Let's just put it away for now and deal with it when we get back."
"Staying here just became much more tempting, huh?" – She smiled at me but I could still see traces of gloom in her eyes.
"Yep… how much do you think rent on this place runs for?"
She laughed and pulled me by my towel back toward the bathroom.
"I doubt we can afford it… so let's just make the best of the time we have."
So we did, we got right back in the tub and continued where we'd left off, just relaxing and talking, with the occasional physical displays of affection that painfully enough were kept tame and sex free.
The next few days we completely ignored Pixie´s schedule, because it involved several museum tours and a visit to another island that was known for its shopping attractions; so needless to say, I wasn't up for it. Instead we just lounged by the pool, tried our hand in making all sorts of fun cocktails in the pool's bar, slept entire afternoons on the villa's roof (a place we'd discovered a bit late in the game but that offered an amazing view of the sea and village as well as a really comfy outdoor couch and a terrace full of flowers) and went on long night walks around the beach and narrow streets of Mykonos.
The only activities we did take her up on where scuba diving on Friday and parasailing on Saturday, which were so much fun I was tempted to buy the gear so we could do it back home, even though I knew it would never be the same.
We even tried our hand in sailing the small boat that came with the villa, which turned out to be hilarious considering neither one of us had ever sailed or really knew how to. We made it just a few yards away from the villa's dock but couldn't get beyond that, taking into account the fact that we hadn't figured out the way to raise the sail. So after hours of pulling on every cord and pushing all the buttons, we gave up and had to pull the boat ourselves back to the house. Ness looked so beautiful, pulling the boat and swimming beside me, laughing hysterically at our incompetence, that for one minute I considered the possibility of staying here, of not going home. For that brief minute I could see our lives here, the fun we'd have, the privacy; but then reality set in and I remembered I had a job back home, a family and a pack, and that the only reason we were living in such high luxury here was because Pixie was paying for it.
So Sunday came and went, and with it, our honeymoon. Ness looked like she wanted to cry the whole time she was packing on Sunday night, getting ready for our early Monday flight. I didn't feel to good myself, not when I knew all the complications waiting for us at home.
"I don't want to leave." – She turned to look at me, her body language asking for comfort. I stopped my own packing and came over to hug her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder and kissing her neck.
"I don't either."
"But we have to."
"Yeah, we do."
"Are you almost done packing?"
"Almost. If we go to bed now we'll catch at least 4 hours of sleep." – Getting up early isn't exactly one of my fortes, so I was hoping to at least get a few hours before having to wake up at around 3am to make our 6:30am flight; Pixie sure did drop the ball on that flight booking.
"Ok… but I want to do something first." – She turned around to face me; taking my breath away at how lovely she looked, even when sad.
"Sure."
"I… I want you to make love to me in this bed one more time." – Her eyes were sparkling with tears and looked eager for my response, as if I'd ever in a million years say no. So I took her face in my hands and slowly but thoroughly kissed her, hoping my lips could in some way make her feel better, hoping to find my own console in hers.
We headed toward the bed and she sat me down in it, climbing on top of me, just like she had on our first time. She began to trace the lines of my face with her fingers, taking in with her eyes my entire face as I took in hers. To think that I had once held her in my arms as a baby, that these same eyes had once looked up at me for the very first time, that I'd seen her grow and mature and learn, that I'd been there to spoil her when Edward or Bella would discipline her, that I'd watched her first footsteps, her first words, been the one to give her her first kiss. All these memories that made up the happiness of my life came rushing and they just consisted of five years, how many more would I have in ten, twenty, fifty years? Then, suddenly leaving this place didn't seem all that sad or scary anymore, not when I knew I'd have a lifetime for new and maybe even better memories.
"I love you Renesmee."
"I love you too Jacob."
"Jake, wake up… we're here."
I opened my eyes to find Nessie looking at me. I had slept throughout the entire flight, so it was kind of weird to look out the window and see nothing but darkness and a few lights in the distance, considering I'd dozed off when it was still light out. Ness smiled when she saw I'd come to and got up to start collecting our carry-on luggage from the overhead compartment. We went through baggage claim and customs surprisingly quickly and before I knew what hit me, before I could prepare for it, the Cullens were standing right in front of us.
Pixie was the first one to break ranks, skipping forward to hug Nessie.
"Wasn't it amazing? Wasn't it the best honeymoon ever?"
"Yes Alice, you outdid yourself!"
"Yey! Tell me more! What was your favorite part? The caves, the yacht trip, scuba diving?" – She was talking faster and pitchier than I'd ever heard her talk before and even though I was grateful for everything, I still felt like punching her so she'd just shut up.
"I'll tell you all about it, just let me say hi to everyone first."
"Of course!" – Pixie twirled around and left the space clear for everyone else. One by one all the leeches came over to greet us. I was just finishing saying hi to Emmett when I felt something hard smack my shoulder, causing severe pain and damn near dislocating it. I flinched and pulled back, alarmed by such a surprising blow. I turned to identify the source and was shocked to see Bells standing before me.
"What the hell Bells? What was that for?"
"That was for imprinting on my baby and for whatever things you did to her this week!"
"Are you kidding me? That was five years ago! And… she's my wife!"
"Yeah, well, you had it coming… and I wanted to take away that horrible blissful face you have going on… I like pain better on it."
I started laughing, because she actually looked mortified.
"You're insane."
"And you're a horrible best friend… please don't smile like that." – She was trying to keep her face straight but was failing miserably, a smile already making its way to her lips. I kept smiling at her until she rolled her eyes and gave in to her smile.
"That hurt you know." – I wasn't joking; my shoulder was still sore and throbbing.
"Just wait till Edward sees you… remember I love you, Edward… not so much."
I looked around and realized he was missing from the bunch gathered around Nessie.
"Where is he anyway?"
"He's getting a little something for the two of you… he'll be here shortly."
I inhaled, nervous about keeping my memories on check and not letting him see "a porno staring his daughter"; something I knew Nessie wouldn't forgive me for. Bella smiled when she saw my nervousness and rolled her eyes at me as she passed beside me to finally greet Ness, who was still surrounded by leeches.
"Relax, I'm the designated shielder."
"Oh my god, thanks Bella."
"I'm not doing this for you… I'm doing it for my Edward."
"Well, thanks anyway."
"Just shut up and stop smiling, it's irritating."
I let out a laugh, provoking her to poke her finger on the sore spot her blow had produced. I winced in pain as she smiled maliciously and finally reached Ness.
A few thousand hugs later, we finally made it out of the terminal and headed to the parking lot. Everyone headed toward Jasper and Carlisle's cars, except for Bella who stopped walking. I realized we all didn't fit in the two cars, so I slowed down and turned to look at Bells, feeling Nessie do the same next to me.
"Mom?"
Bella was standing and looking to the side, so we walked back toward her and stood next to her, looking in the same direction.
"What are you looking at?" – I asked, unable to read her stone-like expression and worrying that maybe something was wrong.
"Your car."
"My what?" – I searched for the rabbit but came up short. When I glanced back at Bella I saw she was holding back a smile as Nessie frowned, also not understanding.
"Your car, Jacob."
I turned to find Edward standing there, the leech was so swift and fast that I didn't even notice him arrive. He was standing next to the opened door of a shiny spectacular jaw dropping fully restored classic 1967 Pontiac GTO. It was aqua blue and had the top down, making it look even better. It was a bit of a shock to see something that I'd only seen in dreams manifest itself physically in front of me, so needless to say, I was speechless.
"Dad, you bought Jacob a car?" – Ness was the first one to break the silence.
"Technically it's for "the Blacks", but yes. No member of this family should drive a beaten down automobile, don't you agree Jacob?"
"I… how did… where… and how did… I…" – I was still in complete shock, but couldn't allow the leech to see me in this state, so I got a hold of myself and was able to complete a sentence.
"How did you know?"
Edward smiled and looked over to Bella, like a little kid who just did something great or got a gold star and wants his mommy's approval.
"One of the nights you stayed at the cottage, I heard your dream; you where dreaming about fixing a car like this… did I get it right?"
"Edward… this is… perfect."
"Good… so, how about a test drive?" – He extended his arm and offered me the keys. I turned to look at Ness, who was radiant, asking for permission like the hopeless codependent fool I am. She smiled and nodded, pushing me with her arm as to give me more motivation.
I got in and turned the ignition, the roar of the car astounding me. I looked over and saw the three of them smiling at me or better yet, at whatever face I had on. Before I could say anything, they all got in, Bella and Edward in the back and Ness up front with me.
"Why don't we head home?" – Edward suggested; I looked through the rearview mirror and saw that he casually leaned back and put his arm around Bella, whispering something in her ear that made her look like she would blush, if she could.
I took in a deep breath and pushed on the gas. My heart was pounding so loudly it was actually embarrassing; I could feel Nessie grinning next to me, but couldn't risk taking my eyes off the road to see her, because I was so afraid of wrecking the gorgeous car.
We arrived at the Cullen's about a million hours later, considering I'd driven like an old lady, and found everyone outside waiting for us.
"So, did he loose it?" – Emmett's loud voice echoed through the forest.
"No, he actually remained considerably calm."
"Aww, damn!" – Emmett put his hand in his pocket and took out a roll of money, tossing it to a smiling Edward. – "Remind me not to bet against you next time."
"Deal."
"So, do you like it? The white leather in the interior was my idea!" – As always, Pixie had to have her hand in everything.
"Yeah, I did… I really don't know what to say… thank you." – I looked at Edward and I meant it, because this was beyond great. Not only was Edward giving me the car of my dreams, but with this gift and everyone's obvious involvement and enthusiasm over it, it felt as though they were cementing the fact that I was accepted and a part of the family. Suddenly I felt really glad that Bella was shielding us, because my fuzzy warm thoughts towards the Cullens was not something I wanted divulged, considering I'd never hear the end of it.
"You're very welcomed Jacob."
We were all just standing there, smiling like idiots, and it started to become somewhat awkward, so I knew it was time for our exit. But before I could say anything, as if reading my thoughts, Edward spoke again.
"Well, I'm sure you have some unpacking to do."
"Yep."
"But I want to know about the trip! What about the photos you said you'd show me?"
"I think that can wait Alice… let them settle in first."
"But…"
"No." – The moment Edward spoke that one tiny monosyllabic word, it was done with. Pixie stopped her pouting and whining almost immediately. I don't think I'd ever seen anything like it, not where Pixie is concerned; I'd also never heard Edward speak with such authority. I mean, sure he's always telling others what to do and sure he thinks his opinion is the right one, but he usually leaves some inch of space for debate. Hearing him say "no" in a very soft and yet commanding way, made me realize that like me, he's the natural leader of his coven, even when Carlisle has seniority.
I smiled to myself at the realization, making Pixie think I was smiling at her and provoking her to stick her tongue out at me. Big deal.
Nessie stepped forward and said goodbye to everyone except for Bella and Edward. When she deliberately skipped them, Bella approached her.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to us?"
"Why? Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, home."
"Well, so are we."
"I know that honey, but you're home is not ours anymore."
My Nessie stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me, as if asking me if this was true. I guess it never occurred to her that once we got married we'd be living by ourselves; it was kind of cute.
"Oh."
"But we're just a phone call away." – Bella looked on the verge of tears, if she could cry anyway. I suddenly felt like the little punch she gave me in the airport didn't cut it, like maybe she needed to really kick my ass to make up for what I was doing to her. If anyone tried to take my Nessie away I'd probably slaughter them, but here was Bella, and Edward for that matter, standing there watching some dog take off with their baby and doing nothing about it. The moment was really unbearable.
"We should get going love." – Edward stepped in, holding his own emotions as to keep Bella's on check. She turned and smiled at his comforting gaze; at least they had each other.
"Yes… ok, well… call me once you get settled in."
Nessie abruptly stepped forward and put her hands on Bella's face. Whatever she was projecting was causing severe emotions from Bella, who just gave Nessie her most amazing smile, the one that reminds me of her when she was human, the one I'm sure just kills Edward.
"I love you Renesmee."
"Me too momma… me too."
After Nessie hugged both Bella and Edward, we got in the car. She waved goodbye to them as we drove off and I couldn't help but feel like a jerk.
"So where are we going?"
"Home."
Nessie's POV
"So where are we going?"
"Home."
It was strange to hear that word when the car was headed in the opposite direction of the cottage, the only home I'd ever known.
"And where's that?"
"You'll see."
"Jacob."
"Sorry baby, it's a surprise… in fact, put this on." – He reached into his pocked at pulled out the blindfold they'd given us in the airplane as to be able to sleep. Was he kidding me? I crossed my arms and decided to refuse.
"I am not."
"Oh yes you are."
"I wannna see!"
"You'll get your chance to see, but for now…" – He extended his arm further and pressed the blindfold to my body, egging me to place it over my eyes.
"Fine."
After a few minutes of just driving, I felt a familiar smell and knew we were in La Push. I tried to make out which road we were taking but couldn't, so I decided to just relax and wait. I could hear the waves in the distance and knew we were close to First Beach. My heart started pounding louder, feeling in my gut that we were getting near. And then, Jacob hit the brakes and the car came to a stop.
"Can I take them off now?"
"Hold your horses."
"Jake!"
"Just wait ok… hold on a sec." – He got out of the car and I felt him come over to my side and open the door for me. I got out as he took my hand and blindly lead me to a spot.
"Ok, you can take them off."
I hurried and ripped the blinds off my eyes, focusing them on what was standing in front of me.
It was like something out of a dream, like the kind of place you see in movies but doubt could really exist in real life; a small two story wooden cabin surrounded by trees and overlooking the beach. It wasn't grand or luxurious, if anything I'd describe it as modest, but it was so picturesque, so striking and inviting that it looked straight out of some fairytale.
The wood was all painted antique white, except for the trim around the windows painted olive green. It had a big porch opened up at the front of it, about four steps high and roofed with a wood pergola. A hammock swung on one side, suspended from the wooden pillars supporting the structure. Big tall windows opened up toward the porch, with white drapes visible from the outside. The roof was covered with olive green shingle; it was almost flat on the first floor and very pitched on the second. A fire place with a chimney was visible from the outside, as it stood out like a separate solid element glued to the side of the house.
Next to the precious cabin was a shed, with the same antique white paint job and green shingled roof. It was huge, perfect for working on cars, something I'm sure was a motivation in selecting this house, as well as the perfect view of First Beach.
I turned toward Jacob and saw he was looking at me with curiosity and maybe even a little apprehension.
"How? I mean… when?"
He smiled and moved closer to me.
"I go by this house all the time… a month ago I saw it was for sale but I couldn't really afford it."
"How did you afford it now? You said you didn't want any help from my family."
"It wasn't your family." – He was grinning now, his "Jacob" grin. –"Do you remember that thing with my boss you wanted me to tell you about? I was waiting till this moment to tell you."
I'd completely forgotten about that. For something I'd been really curious about and had begged him to tell me, I sure had forgotten about it quite easily, what with all the wedding plans and then the honeymoon.
"Ok, so tell me."
"I talked to my boss and told him I was getting married and after a long conversation, well, he made me his partner."
"What? Are you kidding? Partner?"
"Yeah, I know! He said he'd been waiting for me to ask him because I practically run the place when he's not around. I guess all this time I thought he'd never go for it, when in fact he wanted me to step up and ask him, how crazy is that?"
"So what does this mean?"
"It means I own half of the shop Ness. I've been saving money since I started working, knowing one day I'd probably need to offer you something…" – Jacob slightly blushed at this and I just wanted to through myself at him, but since I wanted to hear the rest of it, figured we'd have time later on for that.
"… so I saved up enough to buy half of it… well, not enough, but close… he was really cool about it and accepted what I had in the promise that I'll pay off the rest by running the shop and taking on some of his responsibilities."
"Wait, so if you gave him all your money, how did you pay for this."
"I took out a loan… having your own business, well, half of it anyway, turns out to be good collateral."
"Jake, I'm really blown away."
"Do you like it? It's not exactly what you're used to but…"
"It's better."
"Yeah?"
"Definitely."
"You wanna go inside?"
I nodded and before I knew it, he picked me up and started carrying me toward the door.
"We need to do this properly."
I giggled and relaxed in his arms, as he carried me inside like a bride. The moment we made it through the door the first thing that struck me was the smell. For some reason, even though I don't think he spent that much time in here, it had Jake's scent. Immediately I loved the house, because it reminded me of the way Jacob's room in Billy's house used to smell, back when he didn't stay over every night with me. I was suddenly brought back to earlier times, when I was just a kid and then a young teenager, of how I used to sneak into his room when he wasn't around and just inhale his scent, the scent that seemed so comforting and familiar even when I wasn't already in love with him.
"What are you thinking?"- Jacob set me down and it was until then that I was able to see the interior. I wasn't able to answer his question, not when I was spellbound by what I was seeing.
The entire first floor was the social area, all of it lit up by the various tall windows disposed on all sides of the house. It was fully furnished, something I certainly didn't expect. All the furniture looked comfy and casual, white being the main color but accented by Native American quilts and throws. Upon entering was the living room adjacent to a study, all in one big open space; to the side of the living room was a flight of stairs with a little nuke underneath that had a stone slab with cushions and pillows, perfect for hiding out and reading. The fireplace served as the visual center of the living room, making the space look even homier. I absentmindedly started walking around, taking in every detail, and made my way toward the kitchen and dining area. It was rustic and worn, like the kind of kitchen you'd find in a farm house or something, with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The roof for this space was also a wood structure, but instead of the wood panels and exterior green shingle, the spaces between beams had glass in them, making the entire area seem opened to the forest. I could just imagine the way the sunrise would look from this room and couldn't wait for it.
"So? You're killing me Ness, say something."
"When did you do all this? The furniture, the paintings on the walls, the antiques, the lamps and flowers and candles… I mean, how?"
Jake smiled sheepishly and looked around before answering.
"What did you think I did all those times you were tortured by Pixie over wedding plans?"
"You said you were with your pack."
"And I didn't lie; I was with them, only I was here fixing the place. They helped me out." – He looked severely pleased with himself and again I wanted to rip his clothes off.
"Can I go upstairs?"
"It's your house."
I giggled and practically sprinted toward the second floor. It was small, consisting only of one master bedroom, a spare room and two bathrooms. Since we were on the second floor, the walls were basically part of the pitched roof, so they were all inclined making for a really quaint effect. They had openings in them in the form of windows that let the soft afternoon light enter the space and warm it up. I took a deep breath and went into the master bedroom, finding that if I'd designed and decorated the room myself, this was exactly what I would have done.
Again the room smelled like Jacob, automatically seeming appealing to me; but that wasn't what struck me the most, what struck me was how familiar the space seemed, like I'd lived here all my life. I walked in and looked around, feeling Jacob standing by the door watching me.
The master bedroom was just at the center of the house, were the two roof walls converged. Jacob had placed a king size bed underneath this point, giving it a certain magnificent presence. The huge wood beams that held up the roof framed the bed and as I got closer I saw that this part of the roof also had window openings on it, so that if you were lying in bed you could look up directly out into the sky.
There were black and white pictures everywhere, of my family, of Jacob's, of the pack, even a picture of my mom and dad back when she was still human and one of Jacob as a little kid, with his mom by his side. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and blinked back tears, afraid that if I started crying he might think I didn't like it.
So I turned from the photographs, unable to keep staring at the people that made up the happiness of my life, and focused on the room. There were little details everywhere, things I'd given Jacob as birthday presents, things we'd collected together like sea shells and rocks, dressers and arm chairs from Billy's house, a couple of my favorite paintings from the cottage. The list goes on and on.
Jacob never left the door frame, keeping his eyes on me as I made my way through the room. I walked over to the bathroom and even though it was small, smaller than the guest bathroom in the "big house", it was lovelier than I could possibly say. Everything in it seemed antique, even the big white bathtub that stood at the center, like a single bowl neatly placed underneath the rustic roof.
I came out of the bathroom and leaned against the wall, looking at Jacob who was still silent. He finally moved from the door frame and walked over to me, taking my hand and pressing it to his cheek. I smiled and projected what I thought.
"Really?" – He opened his eyes when I was done projecting and searched mine.
"It's perfect."
"Are you sure, cuz if you don't like something we can change it."
"I love everything."
"Good, because this is my wedding gift to you."
"I thought you gave me your wedding gift on the honeymoon." – I wiggled my eyebrows at him and made him burst out in laughter.
"No baby; that was your wedding gift to me."
We both laughed and stayed leaning against the wall, relaxed despite all the potentially horrible things lingering in the air, like the Volturi.
After a while I realized it had gotten dark but I wasn't sleepy, not when I'd slept almost the entire flight over here. Jacob looked out the window as well when the sun had come down completely.
"Are you tired?"
"Not really."
He looked down and bit his lip, killing me instantaneously and revealing just with that simple gesture exactly what was on his mind; not that I wasn't right there with him, thinking and wanting the same. So I waited for him to make his move.
"Um… you want to watch TV?"
I silently shook my head.
"You want to try out the kitchen?"
Again, I shook my head.
"You… want to try out the bed?"
I smiled and nodded, as he came closer and took my face in both his hands.
"Nessie…"
"Yes?"
"We're home."
After that we didn't talk much; and spent our first night in our new house, our new home.
RING. RING.
I felt Jacob shift under me and extend his arm toward the nightstand where he'd placed his cell phone. My head was resting on his chest and my arms were wrapped around him, not giving him much freedom to reach for it.
RING. RING.
He moved even more, causing me to protest at this; I wanted to keep him here, with me, forever.
"Babe, I have to answer."
"Fine."
I rolled over to my side, turning my back to him as I heard him sit up and answer.
"Hello?"
"Jacob?"
I immediately turned back upon recognizing Emily on the other line. Jacob looked at me with more than a little surprise on his face. We hadn't really heard anything from Emily since she moved away, figuring she probably wanted to stay away from anything that reminded her of Sam.
"Em? How… how are you? Is everything alright?"
"Yes Jacob, everything is fine… well, more than fine." – She sounded cheerful, like her old self. Something was really off.
"What do you mean?" – Jacob was frowning now and I could tell he was apprehensive about her cheerfulness as well.
"I have some news I wanted to share with you."
"Ok."
"I'm… I'm pregnant."
Jacob almost dropped the phone as I immediately sat up. His eyes were wide in shock. I covered my mouth with my hands, unable to say or think anything. After a few seconds of just staring at each other in surprise, Jacob got a hold of himself and spoke back.
"What did you say?"
"I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant? But… I don't… how?"
Emily laughed at Jacob's fumbling words and again we were both shocked at the sound.
"It's Sam's… I found out yesterday. Jacob, you have no idea how this news has changed me. A week ago I was considering suicide and now… I'm happy. He never left me, ever… and he never will… I'm carrying a part of him right now, in me, growing and growing."
"Wow Em… that's amazing."
"It's a blessing. We tried having kids for so long and who knew that we'd succeed, right before…" – Her voice cut off and I felt a terrible stomach ache, because no matter how happy she is about being pregnant, it could never replace Sam.
"Em, congratulations… that's great news, thank you for sharing it with us."
"You're my family… you were part of Sam's life, I wanted to share it with you."
"You have no idea how happy this makes me Em, to hear you so at peace. I know Sam would have wanted this, for you to have something to live for."
"Yes… for our baby."
I was smiling from ear to ear, because I knew things would eventually work out, I knew Emily would not be left alone in the dark. Jacob entwined his fingers with mine and smiled at me, with relief visible on his face.
"Will you send us some photos once your tummy starts growing?"
"Of course… well, I have a lot of phone calls to make so… we'll keep in touch, say hi to Nessie for me, I love you both."
"Yeah, we love you too Emily and again… congratulations."
Jacob hung up the phone and threw himself back in a lying position.
"Oh my god! Can you believe this?"
"It's wonderful!" – I lay back down as well, next to him.
"Man, she sounded so happy… I didn't think I'd ever hear her sound like that again."
"Me either."
He turned over on his side to look at me and took my face in one of his hands.
"Everything is turning out fine."
"You see? I told you we needed to have hope."
We started kissing and again my passion for him started flaring. He got on top of me, supporting his weight with his hands, as we continued to kiss and I began to pull his boxers down.
DING. DONG.
"What now?" – He pulled back from me and turned his head toward the sound of our new doorbell.
"It's nothing… let's not get it." – I pulled him back toward me but again the bell rang.
"Let me just see who it is."
"No… Jacob."
He laughed as he got off me and walked to the window that faced the front of the house.
"Hey man! Answer the freaking door!"
I recognized Quil's voice and also smelled Embry, Leah, Seth, Collin, Brady and Jared. Everyone in Jacob's pack except for Paul, who I'm sure we wouldn't miss.
"Be right down." – Jacob turned from the window and shrugged his shoulders, as in "what can we do?"
"Sorry baby, guess this will have to wait."
I sat up and kneeled on the side of the bed, stretching my hands toward him. He smiled and walked over to me.
"We can be quick." – What the hell had gotten into me? All I knew was that I wanted Jacob, desperately, and he looked so good, with his boxers sitting low on his hips and his hair all disheveled from just having woken up, that I couldn't let a bunch of wolves interfere with my wishes.
He shushed me and pressed his face closer to mine; whispering so low no one else could hear it.
"Sshh, they'll hear you."
"We can be quiet too." – I whispered back.
"Ness, you know I want to, but they're all standing right outside."
"So what, make them wait… it's rude to visit without calling first anyway."
He shook his head at me and sweetly kissed me. I inhaled his scent but before I could deepen the kiss, he pulled back.
"Although you have no idea how tempting this is, we can't. But I promise I'll make it up to you." – He gave me his devilish sexy smile and I couldn't help but cave in.
"Fine."
Jacob threw on a pair of shorts as I put on my robe. They'd all seen me in pajamas various times, but for some reason today it felt far too intimate, like that was something only Jacob from now on had a privilege to see.
We came down and Jacob opened the door.
"Finally! What took you so long?" – Quil came in and punched Jacob before sweeping me off my feet and giving me a bear hug.
One by one they all came in, happily greeting us. Pretty soon I forgot about wanting to leave them outside and we all began to talk about the honeymoon. I showed them pictures on my digital camera and we told them about all the fun things we got to do, leaving out the obvious intimate details.
"I still think Disneyland would have been better." – Quil tried to look sulky and instead ended up looking hilarious, causing all of us to laugh.
As we were all laughing, I caught Embry giving Jacob a look. At first I wasn't sure what it was about, until I realized Leah was observing the exchange as well and looked extremely nervous. Then it hit me, they wanted Jacob to break the news of their imprint. Suddenly I was nervous too, because I had no idea how the news would be received.
"Um, listen… now that you're all here, I'd like to take the time to first, thank you for helping me out with the house, Nessie really loved it."
Everyone cheered and smiled at me, except for Embry and Leah who both looked like they were about to vomit.
"And second, I have some news to share with you. First of all, as the alpha of this pack, I'm asking all of you to let the news sink in before opening your mouths and saying something you might regret later."
"What is this about?" – Jared looked concerned, as well as everyone else, upon hearing Jacob speak in such a serious tone.
"It's something good, a blessing, so I don't want any overreacting, got it?"
Everyone nodded and a few "sures" were uttered. I took in a deep breath as Jacob looked at me for encouragement.
"Some time ago, around the time Sam passed away, Embry imprinted on Leah."
I hadn't expected him to blurt it out just like that, not beating around the bush even a little bit. I turned to find that they were all gaping.
"Very funny." – Quil was the first one to speak, obviously not buying it. The others relaxed a bit at this until Jake spoke again.
"I'm not kidding, they imprinted on each other."
This time everyone turned toward Leah and Embry, who to prove a point or just out of habit, held hands. Everyone's eyes popped open at this, turning from Leah to Embry to Jacob and back to Leah.
"Ok, you're joking right, this is some elaborate joke!" – Quil got up from the couch as to better face the "accused".
"No, it's not." – Embry held Leah's hand tighter, making her smile a bit.
"How? How come you didn't tell me?"
"I'm sorry Quil, I guess we were both nervous about it."
"This doesn't make any sense, you imprint the first time you make eye contact with your soul mate… you two have seen each other since forever." – Jared was standing up now too, looking at both of them with an inquisitive stare.
"Leah was under a spell… something like a love spell for Sam, it wasn't until he passed away that she was free to imprint or be imprinted on."
"I've never heard anything like that before." – Jared seemed put-off by some reason.
"Well, it's true."
"God, this changes everything, doesn't it? I mean, you two knew each other, spent a lot of time together and didn't feel anything for the other until you imprinted… do you see what this means?, we all love our imprints because of the imprint, because of the magical bind, but not because we were always meant to love them, not because they're our perfect match, because if that were true you'd both fallen in love before imprinting!"
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. All the others looked like that too. Could what Jared was saying be true? If so, than Jacob really didn't love me, he was just forced to. Was I forced to love him as well? Would I still love him without the imprinting? I started feeling sick to my stomach and I could tell Quil felt the same; were we living a lie?
"That's not true Jared… Ness…" – Jacob's eyes looked apprehensive toward mine, as if he could read what I was thinking, as if he knew I'd come to the horrible conclusion that without magic he would still love mom, that he wouldn't have preferred me.
"Will you all please get a grip?" – Embry stood up and looked incredulous at all of our panicked faces. – "Jeesh, talk about overreacting! You don't know the whole story… I… I had a crush on Leah, a big one, before imprinting."
"Oh come on, are you serious?" – Quil looked like he was about to get really angry, but Embry remained calm and kept talking.
"Yes, I never told anyone because I didn't want to get made fun off, so I hid my thoughts from you guys and from Leah as well. I thought I was being a fool, because not only was she mean to me, but she was still in love with Sam and I hadn't imprinted, which in my head meant she wasn't the one; so I didn't pursue it, even though something drew me to her."
"And I couldn't feel it, because of the spell I was under, but I did like spending time with him and listening in on his thoughts… I guess that's why I was especially mean to him, because I couldn't understand certain feelings I had for him and it just pissed me off."
"Ok? So you get it now? Under normal circumstances we would have probably started dating or something. It's like before imprinting you have a veil over your eyes, like most humans who have trouble recognizing "the one", but when you imprint you just get it, you see the truth. That's what happened, so please don't go ballistic on us and don't freak out." – Embry was mostly looking at Jared, Quil, Jacob and I, the only ones in the pack who had already imprinted. This whole horrible assumption hadn't rattled the rest "unimprinted" ones nearly as much.
"So you liked each other?" – Jared was asking for confirmation, looking just about ready to drop the awful conclusion he'd reached a minute ago.
"Yes." – They answered in unison.
"Damm, I almost lost it right there… sorry."
"Me too." – Quil agreed.
"Me three." – I felt my face flush with embarrassment. The first thing Jacob had said was "not to overreact" and it ended up being the first thing I did, the funny part being that unlike the others, I had already known the news.
"So you really did imprint?"- Seth was smiling his goofball smile at Leah, and I could tell he was relieved at this, probably having worried in the past that she would never find love.
"Yes."
Seth was the first one to break the tension and practically threw himself at Leah and then at Embry to hug them. Collin and Brady followed and pretty soon everyone was hugging and congratulating them.
"So is it safe to say you'll be nicer now?" – The second Quil said it; Leah punched him in the stomach.
"Nicer to Embry, not you guys."
"Fair enough." – Quil's voice came out high pitched and strained, as he bent over from the pain of Leah's blow. We couldn't help but laugh at the way his voice sounded and the face he made.
After we were all done congratulating and sharing each other's thoughts and reactions to the news, Jared got serious and turned to Jacob.
"Jacob, we should set some ground rules."
"Yeah, you're right. I don't think the two of you should run patrols together; for one, I think listening in on your thoughts about each other would be fairly awkward for the rest of us, and secondly, if danger comes, it's best if you handle it apart, cuz we don't want you to get killed over each other."
"That's not fair Jacob!"
"Yes it is Leah; you'll take turns running patrols: that's it, no discussion."
"Let it go baby." – Embry spoke so sweetly to Leah that everyone turned to see. She blushed slightly at the attention they were getting but merely nodded and spoke no more. Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when anyone, let alone a guy, would make her stand down from a discussion.
Everyone suppressed laughing at this and before we knew it, they were all heading out the door. I stood in the frame and waved them goodbye.
As soon as I closed the door, Jacob came up behind me, placing his big hands on my tummy and caressing it softly.
"Still in the mood?" – He whispered into my ear. When was I not in the mood? That was the question.
I turned around and we began kissing. I could hear Jacob's heart rate getting faster and faster, making my own go insane. He wickedly smiled and pushed me against the front door, pressing his body against me so that all his heat radiated toward me. He had his hands inside my pajama top and was cupping my breasts in his hands. I was just about to begin unzipping his shorts when again… the door bell rang.
"Shit… who is it now?" – He moved his face from mine and peeked out through the peephole on the door. He then inhaled and exhaled loudly, taking his hands away from my body.
"Who?"
"Your family."
I could barely speak; talk about bad timing. My breathing was still ragged and so was Jacob's, something I couldn't allow any of them to notice, if they hadn't already heard us through the door. Dammit, the downside to enhanced senses.
I inhaled as well and regulated my breathing, taking a step from the door and opening it.
Mom, dad, grandpa and Alice were standing there. Thankfully Emmett, who's known for his inappropriate jokes, and Jasper, who would have sensed our mood a mile away, were not present. Automatically I relaxed; knowing mom would be shielding Jacob and me from now on.
"Hello darling, may we come in?"
"Yeah, sure."
We all greeted each other and after giving them a tour of the house, we settled in the living room. I was nervous about what they had to say, guessing it probably had to do with the Volturi issue.
"Just let us have it Edward." – Jacob sat next to me and closed his hand around mine. It wasn't dad but Alice who answered.
"We have new information. All this time I hadn't been able to "see" the Volturi, like they they've been blocking me somehow, but that didn't stop me from trying and trying… so finally, I few days ago out of the blue, I had a vision. It was small, but the information I saw was later confirmed by Dr. Krauss."
"My friend in Germany." – Grandpa interjected.
"What did you see?" – Jacob seemed afraid to ask.
"I saw the Volturi and the werewolves, here, in Forks, in the forest near our house. Aro was there, along with the rest of them and even the royal guard. He spoke to the werewolves, he gave them an order: "portami il dominante". And that was all I could see."
Even with my slim knowledge of Italian, I knew what the order meant; it meant "bring me the alpha". My insides were churning from anxiety and angst. They could go after anyone, but not my Jacob.
"How was that later confirmed by Dr. Krauss." – Jacob remained calm and business-like, probably for my sake. Grandpa was the one to answer.
"I've known Dietrich Krauss for many years; he actually lived with the Volturi around the time that I stayed with them, but unlike me, he didn't part ways with them because he disapproved of their ideals, but because he wanted to travel and be free. This is why he is still in their good graces, especially with Marcus. He's an expert on genetic science, so I asked him to help me with this whole werewolf business, as you already know. Upon uncovering that the Volturi were possibly behind this, much to his own personal risk, he dug around until Marcus revealed to him the truth."
"Which is?"
"That they sent those things down here to collect a "specimen". According to Dietrich, Marcus did not mention their "side plan" to murder us, he simply stated that they'd found a very interesting creature near Forks and that they wanted him."
"I don't get it, why would they want me?"
"Marcus told Dietrich that they were fascinated by the fact that the "creature" was inherently built to combat vampires, apparently the Volturi consider this something they could study and maybe use against vampire enemies; do you recall the words "guard dogs"?"
I don't know if Jacob did, but I certainly recall those words. I remember feeling offended even back then when Aro had implied he would like to train and keep the wolves as guard dogs.
"But they already have the werewolves they created; they already managed to build "guard dogs"." – I protested, like somehow this would change the fact that they were after my husband.
"Yes Nessie, but they seem to think that the "key ingredient" to perfect their creation lies in Jacob…. but that's not all. Aro, being the curious man he is, was especially interested in… well… your imprint."
"What?" – Jacob and I spoke at the same time.
"As you may recall, Marcus' "gift" is to see the ties and alliances between people. He spoke to Dietrich about being witness to a bond stronger than any he'd ever seen before, impenetrable. He didn't elaborate much further to Dietrich, but I can deduce that he was referring to you." – Grandpa looked at both of us, with a frown of worry visible on his forehead.
"I'm afraid Aro is fascinated by the bond Marcus witnessed. I have no idea what his twisted brain is thinking, but what I do know is he wants you, both of you."
I felt Jacob squeeze my hand tighter, but not even his warm touch was enough to soothe me. I felt a huge pain in the pit of my stomach as well as little voice whispering into my brain: "your dream will come true, your dream will come true." As I sat there, envisioning the end, dad spoke.
"Neither one of you should worry about this; we will protect you, to the end."
Mom nodded in agreement and it was until then that I realized dad was holding her hand tightly, just like Jacob was holding mine. I felt like crying but couldn't, felt like screaming but couldn't, felt like running away, but knew that was impossible, not when the Volturi had centuries of knowledge ahead of me and could easily find me.
"Yes, Edward is right, we will protect you. Five years ago the Volturi encountered something they had never encountered before, a possible match. We ourselves were surprised by this, but I guess fate works in mysterious ways." – Grandpa glanced at mom with loving eyes. – "This time around, I guarantee you, they will not encounter a "possible match", they will "meet their match". It is time to end this, once and for all."
Even though he sounded confident, I couldn't shake from my brain the fact that "they are the Volturi". As much as we were able to hold our own years ago, would we actually come out victorious in a real life battle? Were we being fools by underestimating their power? Or had we built up their power in our heads to a much greater spectrum than the actual one? Had no one ever defeated them more because of their reputation than their actual supremacy? I didn't know, all I knew was, Jacob's life depended on those answers.
"When? When did you see this happen?" – Jacob's voice was hoarse as he referred to Alice. She hesitated but then answered, not looking at either one of us.
"There was a full moon."
I frantically glanced at the calendar Jacob had hung on the kitchen wall, my heart pounding at the expectation of uncovering when this horrible event would take place, hoping to have more time with Jacob before it could all possibly end. So there it was, the full moon drawing on Thursday… two days from now.
I'm sure that by now probably no one is reading my story, what with all the time I took to update jajaja But for those of you who are still interested, I hope you like this long chapter and I sincerely hope you stick around and leave your reviews. Thank you for your support!